The present invention is directed to jamb assemblies, such as door frame assemblies and window frame assemblies, and more particularly to assemblies including a jamb member and a fascia (or casing) member.
Conventionally, jamb assemblies are built into door and window frames. The jamb assembly serves as an intermediate mechanical assembly between an unfinished opening in a wall, and the door or window that occupies the opening. More particularly, conventional jamb assemblies include jamb members and fascia members.
Jamb members (or jamb legs) line the interior faces of the opening in the wall, and generally make the interior surfaces of the opening more attractive, smooth and secure than the interior faces of the unfinished opening in the wall. The jamb members may also include a door stop protrusion to seal the edges of a door, or various other features structured to interface with window hardware.
Fascia members cover up a portion of a major surface of the wall in the vicinity of the opening. More specifically, fascia members are placed to cover the side surfaces of the jamb members and to cover the edges of the opening in the wall. Fascia members usually have the general appearance of a picture frame, and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the door or window. Fascia members may also help provide a better seal and enhanced thermal insulation in the vicinity of the opening. Conventionally, fascia members are made of wood, and are attached to the jamb members and/or the wall by screws or nails.
Although wood is an increasingly expensive and scarce material, wood works especially well for fascia pieces because wooden fascia pieces are highly amenable to being connected by screw or nail to jamb members. Also, nails or screws can be driven into the wood and then finished over so that the screw or nail heads are inconspicuous. This inconspicuousness is especially advantageous because a major purpose of fascia members is to improve the appearance of the wall and opening.
The present application deals with some potential problems in the above described prior art and some potential solutions to these potential problems. One potential problem with the above-described conventional jamb assemblies is that nail holes or a screw holes are generally driven through the fascia member in order to facilitate mechanical connection to the jamb member and/or the wall by screws or nails. This potential problem is not much of a problem with conventional wooden fascia members, because these members take a nail or screw hole quite well, without compromising the structural soundness or aesthetics of the jamb assembly.
However, new types of materials are being used to make fascia members and jamb members. Such new materials include composite materials, such as composite materials formed of epoxy and finely divided wood pulp, particles or fibers. Many of these new materials can be easily cracked or otherwise compromised by formation of a nail hole or a screw hole. Also, nail and screw heads tend to be conspicuous in the environment of composite materials, even when the screw or nail head is finished over.
In response to this perceived problem, the present invention involves various ways of attaching a fascia member to a jamb member and/or a wall in ways that do not involve making a hole in the fascia member. Such ways of attachment include providing for adhesive attachment, friction fit and/or force fit between the fascia member and the jamb member and the wall. Most preferably, both the jamb member and the fascia member are formed with grooves (or kerfs), and an intermediate piece (herein called a xe2x80x9csplinexe2x80x9d) is partially inserted into both the kerf in the jamb member and the kerf in the fascia member to secure of the fascia member to the jamb member by frictive force, optionally supplemented by adhesive attachment.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a jamb assembly, for placement in an opening in a wall, includes a jamb member, a fascia member and a connector. The connector is structured to mechanically connect the jamb member to the fascia member, such that no holes need to be formed in the fascia member to effect the connection.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a jamb assembly, for placement in an opening in a wall, includes a jamb member, a fascia member and a spline. The jamb member has a jamb groove formed therein. Likewise, the fascia member has a fascia groove formed therein. The spline member, the fascia groove and the jamb groove are shaped and located so that a portion of the spline member protrudes into the jamb groove and a portion of the spline member protrudes into the fascia groove.
Further applicability of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the description and examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.